The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1887-07-28
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
THE TURNrP CROP.

| III Is crop so easily grown and root so useful
both in the kitchen and on the farm, that both
the garden and field should have its turnip
patch. The first essential to a good crop of
turnips and crop of good turnips is rich soil,
and yet it is a necessity that the manure should
be thoroughly decomposed. Some of the best
successes follow sowing on piece of ground
that has been highly MANFRED for potatoes.
The latter crop rather prefers high loose man
ure. BY the time they are mature the manure
has become rotten enough to suit the turnip
exactly. The early crop of potatoes being gen.
orally all dug by the 18th of August, the turnip
can then well follow. If the ground is in ex-
cellent condition, very good results often fSl-
low when the seed is sown so late rs the first
week in September; but this is contingent In a
| great measure on good rains falling soon after
the seed is sown. If the potato crop has been
| kept well worked it is not necessary to plow it
over again for turnips. As soon as the potatoes
are taken out the rubbish can be narrowed of
and the seed at once sown. 1t is possible that
with more labor the result might be a triie
better, but we have seen such results follow
| from this practice that it is well 10 know it is
so near perfection, rs it often happens that in
view Of a sudden shower being probable the
seed may be put in at once, for certainly
shower on the seeds as soon as sown will DO
more good than an extra working of the
ground.
The most troublesome question to decide is
| how thick 10 sow the seed. Turnip seed many
| years old will grow tolerably WELL vet new seed
is the best, as all grow; while the older the
seed the more are bad. 1t seems that seeds are
endowed with different degrees of vitality, as
individuals are. They do not all die at one
| age. At 10 years old tuTnip seed has been found
10 grow, but only about 30 in every hundred.
| The quantity that should be sown will then
| depend in some measure on the age of the seed
But many dread the turnip-hy, the great enemy
Of this crop, which destroys large numbers OF
| young plants, aud many sow much more thickly
than IS needed in order to allow for this trim
ming by the little black insect: but the diff
Guilty about this is when the plants from this
| thick-sOwn seed all escape they are too many
for the permanent crop and thus much labor
! is TO be spent on thinning or else much on top
| ping large number of small roots taking
double time to get in the crop that large roots
| require. Indeed, when this extra labor of top
| ping Is considered, it will pay TO hoe out the
| thick plants rather than let them grow
/ Those do best generally who sow rather thin
and depend on the chance of getting clear of
the fly. The best of precautions against this
! is good rich soil. Then the plant grows faster
than the fly can injure il to any great extent,
and is thus saved. Few persons ever lose their
| turnip crop from the fly who have real good
turnip lands. Besides, turnips from suitable
soil are always tender and good, no matter
how large they may be. and this is a great gain.
-GeTaGHtoEn Telegraph.
BONE DUST
Many poor fellow has worn out his bones
| trying 10 work a piece Of poor ground; but
such bone application has seldom resulted in
large profits. Our English friends have discOv-
cred that it is much better to use other peoples
in these cases than their own. and the bone
trade Of England has assumed gigantic proper
tions All the old battleiields have been ran
sacked, and unless report do thorn an Injustice,
| many an old fellow whose bones were supposed
TO rest in peace in some grassy, daisy-howered
churchyard, would have TO hunt some modern
turnipfeld to find all that remains of them.
Foreign countries have not only TO pay tribute
10 England of their wealth during life but
even their bones have TO follow in order to en-
rich British soil, as while living they worked
TO ill British pockets. Australia sends an enor-
nous quantity Of bones to England. II has
become such a heavy trade that the article
itself was found too light for profit Science
has been called In to enable the ship owner 10
take the same weight in less bulk. The bones
are first ground, then the dust mixed with
some substance which will give it Just enough
adhesiveness to make the particles stick to-
gether. Then the material is put under heavy
pressure in mOlds about six inches square, so
that 1t can be packed in the hold without any
loss of space. One ton of this bone-cake meas
ures only % cubic feet. OF course these bones
are all of wild or domestic animals, but still
"silence is golden"
NOTES
1t has been demonstrated that roup in
fowls and diphtheria in children are identical,
hence care should be taken when roup appears
in a flock of fowls.
- 1t is folly TO require the hired man and
the boys TO put the tools in their places" I'M
less you have provided Mace, and a suitable
and convenient one at that.
Sorghum seed is excellent for poultry and
as ii thrives well on sandy soil it may be grown
for poultry food, not as a general crop, but to
supply small proportion 10 feed as a variety
- Beans are rich in nitrogen and are good
food for any sort of animals. Hogs may be
fattened on them. There is nothing better for
sheep, and they are just the thing for cows in
milk.
- The best labels for marking plants arc
made from zinc, and only common lead pencil
is needed 10 mark them. The writing is at
first faint, but becomes distinct when exposed
10 the weather.
The onion crop must have nitrogen. Ashes
nave DCen frequently appileu where the same
plot was planted year after year, but they are
lacking in nitrogen, and sooner or later the
bottom will 90 out of the land.
Calves must be kept thrifty from the first
with 10 setback, if they are TO become fully
developed early, and this is the only way TO get
satisfactory profits from raising them, whether
for the dairy or SHAMELESS.
-NeaTa good market where celery can be
sold easily, IL is good crop to grow with
onions. The constant tillage of the land in
Fall for banking celery leaves the land free
from seeds OF weeds. and in fine order for next
years work.
Where the yards are so constructed that
II is difficult to give the fowls a run upon the
food in some form. If the fowls cannot be per-
mitted TO run, keep the lawn-mower moving.
Now bait tho hens with tender blades of
grass which are everywhere clothing the earth
with a carpet of green. If they can be given
a run for an hour day IL will do them much
good, and they Will amply repay the extra
trouble which this involves.
When chickens are fed and cared for Just
so as TO keep them nc a standstill, the food
given is actually thrown away. This is the
most wasteful and qxtravagant method of
feeding evor pursued. The pOultryman gets
no return from his investment.
Keep the young chickens growing. This
oftropeated advice is ever in order Truth
needs 10 be constantly kept before tho mind.
That clergyman who preached the same SER
mon three Sabbaths in succession, and, when
demonstrated with for doing so, replied that
hlg INaH haA mt raN foil haI